New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-01
FOUR MEN BLOWN TO BITS.
TIE BUILDING DISAPPEARS LEAVING FEW
TRACES or THE DEAD MEN,

TIE BUILDING DISAPPEARS LEAVING FEW
TRACES OF THE DEAD MEN.
Nearly 1000 pounds Of forcitc, explosive something
like dynamite stored away in the cartridge of the
American Forcitc Powder Conn any at McCainsville,
near Lake Hopatcong, " j., went OF yesterday, killing
four persons and blowing the whole building to bits.
The men wto killed were workmen engaged in
packing away cartridges. They Henry Todd John
Fancher, Frederick McDcde and Philip Myers all mar
red The of the explosion is unknown, OF
those who in the building alive The superin.
tendcnt had left the building only moment before the
explosion The work. of the company were close to tho
lake and the station OF that and erected
only few months ago after the explosion of July .,
1856, when ten killed and property worth
thousands of dollars destroyed. when the company
rebuilt Its factory II scattered the buildings
territory. that II blew up tho rest would not
necessarily 20 up with it. The damage this time is not
known
Every object in the vicinity of the cartridge building
s utterly demolished. and great hole In the ground ten
feet deep is all there is to show tna the building
existed. The ground is literally stTcwn with fine
bronIed splners and nothing Is lett Of the four men
who in the building but little pieces Of charred
flesh scattered here and there hundreds of yards
around. The explosion shook the whole surrounding
country and people ont Of their houses miles away
In the belief that there had been earthquake.
The American Forctc Powder Company has an Office
III THIS city ~ NJ. Liberty 81 TO IRlB NJ reporter
who called there yesterday afternoon inquire about
the explosion A. DE Castro. the general manager OF
the company. sail that all The information they had re-
ceivcd dispatch saying that there had been an
explosion. and tia four boys had been killed Later he
said that he had had brief talk the telephone 10
Hopatc0nc and learned that the explosion had occurred
IN ~ the four cartridge houses and that the loss was
hight, 10: over SlOO $500
Tho American Forcitc Company organized in
lS~i. The officers President, II. De Castro; treas
urer. l.. e. CLARK secretary, William l.. Ferguson; gen
cral manager 4. De Castro. The works at HOpatcong
cAtcnsiVe. consisting of fifty budings, scat
tered over about 40 OF ground The works EN-
poy. when run to their full capacity, ahont 100 men,
an produce daily 10000 pounds OF force For the last
month. oWcycr they have only been running AT about
onetrl Of their capacity the daily product being about
GOOO pounds OF powder. ~ tie tine Of the explosion
there only about tfiy employed. only small
amount Of Orctc T. kept stored AZ the works the greater
part of " being sent away soon as manufactured.
The magazines which the oicito that j. kept on hand
ls stored situated mile aud half or two miles
from Tie u.u4
"Tor,tc" SAID Nr. uc Castro, i, plastic powder,
similar IN It's nature 10 dynamite. The foundation OF II
nitr1 gy ccrlnc. n considerably more powerful
explosive ihau dynamite. bat j. not sensitive, and is
ons,quouiy much >aicr to handle. cannot account
fr the explosion except b. the sro.o-t carccssncSs on
til. part work. the pos, der cannot
yodc 90 lt.clL Boy employed IN making the wrap
pin 2 of ;lc powder. and suppose oi them were
Killed There D.. good deal of risk IN making aud hand
Aue such stun aul it's fortunate that things were no
uoisc The material da-c j. very small, and viii 10,
interfere wifi tl, rran.ne OF u.c works IL thc lea-